Another day or two or three

Thought for the Day:

"We may be the sum of our past but our future is what we make of it."
Reva McCandless

And I thought winter would be quiet and dull around here. NOT. It seems like there is always something going on that keeps me from getting too lazy and dull. I am feeling so much better and getting more strength back and so I'm doing more around the house and getting out and about.

The day after Valentines day we went to celebrate my neices recent engagement. She is happy and getting ready for an early June wedding, then she will be moving to a new state to be with her new husband.

I love it when the grandkids come by, even if just for a few minutes as my daughter is running errands. Evan, the youngest is really grandma's boy and wants me to hold him all of the time. Of course that's such a burden on me ( ha) and we have a great time. Last week we had Evans 1st birthday party.

The older grandkids help keep our dog Myrtle happy as they all romp outside and play on the tree swing. I keep hoping to find a nice round plastic seat to put on the end of the tree swing rope but I haven't yet. Right now there is just a broken tree limb tied on the bottom of the rope and the kids straddle it and do just fine. Guess they won't know the difference if I don't tell them.

In March I have to go to Denver for my Dr. appointment with the specialist. I think it'll be a good visit this time with good reports, especially considering my recent hospital stays. My meds are pretty well leveled out and I don't have any extreme side effects, just those I am already used to, so that's good.

My husband has been off this past week due to a temporary lay off. Bet alot of you are feeling the economic pressures as well in your jobs, and I'm grateful he'll at least be going back to work soon. We will took advantage of the time off though to see and help some of our parents with projects they wanted done and to visit with other family as well. We even tried some fishing in a small local man made lake but no luck except to enjoy being outside for a change. He is off with my Dad and brother's to the hills today to do some target practicing with the shell's they loaded themselves the other day. This is a test run for hunting season I'm sure but they all really enjoy it.

We stopped by to see the newest grandson, Tyler, who is now 2 months old. He has grown alot and we needed to catch up on some of that cuddling time.

Taxes. Enough said about that since that word probably elicits the same tightening of the stomach muscles in everyone like it does me. I'm trying the free Turbo*Tax and it may even find more refunds for us. Sure hope so anyway.

We went to my nephews last basketball game last week and his team won 30 to 13. He's only in 5th grade but the boys were so good at making shots and passing the ball and taking the ball from the other team that I was surprised. It was fun. I think it's much more fun to watch sports when you personally know someone on the team. I took alot of blurry pictures since they were moving so much and the lighting in the gym didn't help either. He's number 21 in the light blue.

Now that I've rambled on about a hodgepodge of subjects, I'll try to get this posted before someone thinks I've left town or am sick or something. Keep smiling and enjoy your day so you can be the gift someone needs today!

Update on son David

Thought for the day: "Sunshine can only enter our lives when we open the curtains of our hearts!" (by me)


My son David, who had stage four melanoma cancer in his lymph nodes in his neck and a spot in his lung survived the 4 rounds of a chemo coctail this last fall. They thought they got it all except maybe a tiny spot in his neck. This last Friday they did another PET scan and discovered the spots still in his neck and now there is some in his stomach too.
At this time they have him scheduled for surgery on March 10 to remove the spot on his stomach and also the lymph nodes in his neck. He wants them to do an MRI on his head too to make sure it hasn't spread to his brain. Just when we began to think he would have a little breathing room from his ordeal it has sprung up again.
He is outwardly taking it pretty well and is keeping busy with his college classes and friends. I hope he can keep a positive attitude with it all and with continued thoughts and prayers he has a chance of getting through this round also. I'm not sure what his long term chances really are right now but I know we will have to help him focus on the good parts of his life and the positive possibilities still waiting for him. Please keep him in your prayers.
One of the ways he is living it up right now is by dying his hair green. Green? Yep, I said green. He has dark brown hair naturally so he dyed it blond first and then tried to dye it turqois but it came out green. Now he wants to try alot of other colors just for fun. I guess when you are young (19) and looking at cancer, you may want to try alot of crazy things just to keep out of the duldrums and depression. That's ok by me as long as he is not getting himself into trouble and is taking care of himself.


As far as my health, I'm feeling alot better but still battling some medication reactions. That should get better soon as we are adjusting dosages and types of meds I'm on. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to be on so many different things at once. A few of them overlap on their side affects which confuses things at times but I'm getting it all worked out a little at a time.



Grandson Tyler at about 4 wks
My newest grandson, Tyler, is about 6 weeks old now and the next oldest, Evan will be one year old on February 20th. Two little guys in less than a year is something to rejoice in. Evan is walking and even running around the house and climbing on everything, so he's a handfull. Tyler is still that tiny baby cuddler and I can't wait to hold him again. One of the joys of being a grandparent for sure.
Grandson Evan 10 months


To keep up with Evan and his brother and sister, check out my daughter's blog at 'Amber'. 'Brenda', my younger sister has her youngest daughter who is the same age as my granddaughter and since Brenda and Amber both homeschool their children they have alot in common with the girls. Mariah, my granddaughter and Grace, my niece get along great and have such fun when they are together. I know they will be good friends and cousins when they move out here near us. Brenda has a wonderful and always uplifting blog too and I encourage anyone to check out both blogs if you haven't already.

Brother Jimbo's homebuilt shed
My brother finished building his own shed, workshop and did a great job. He could have gotten a ready made one for just a few hundred more but the satisfaction of designing and building his own was worth more than the money. Now he can get caught up on all the family house and yard projects he wants to do.

Well, I'm really trying to keep my blogs a little shorter than I have in the past so I better knock off for now. If any of you have some favorite 'thoughts for the day' that you want to share, either send it to me and I'll add it to mine or put in on yours so we can all see it there.

I'm looking for another great day with lots of day gifters. Have you gifted yourself to someone today? Incase you're not sure what I mean by that, I believe we all have so many things about us that we need to share with others. Whether that is doing something nice for someone else, calling to check on a senior or sick friend, or just letting your grandkids crawl all over you when they visit, either way you are giving something wonderful to someone and you will be able to look in the mirror at night and say, "I feel good about myself." Don't forget that pat on your back either.

Happy blogging Day!

Thought for each day

Things are looking up again. After another few weeks of discomfort and medicine adjustments I am starting to feel like I'm almost ready to join the regular day to day activitites around here. It seems like everytime I end up in the hospital for whatever reason I come out feeling wiped out and my body and its functions are all mixed up. Recovery just seems to take forever but that's partially because I can't stand to be tied down and out of the race, so to speak for very long. I love being active and part of things. Soo.. I'm coming up to the starting line and I'm already at the 'get ready, get set,' stage and waiting for the almighty 'GO!'

I just changed my page look to see if I can get 2009 off to a new and better start. I may have lost some pictures on the page but I plan on resetting those soon as I have time.

Also, I have so enjoyed hearing from everyone and I'm so thankful for all the thoughts and prayers that were sent my way. Life really is wonderful, even when I don't feel so good. Each day is special in it's own way and each person I come into contact with is part of it and that makes me happy.

This is just a short update to let you all know I really am still alive and kicking (some days more than others) and I'm looking forward to many more. Your blogs are all a part of my blogging days and they uplift me in each your own way. Your personalities show through and that is what makes us all unique and special. We are all worthy of being gifted to those around us. Your blogs are gifts to me and I thank you for sharing your selves with me.

As I feel better, I will do more updating and add some new pictures and I'm thinking of adding a 'thought for the day' paragraph each time too. I love short little statements that give me something to think about through the day and I hope you will like them too.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
look in the mirror and smile at yourself while thinking of something nice you have done for someone recently, then reach over your shoulder and pat yourself on the back. Doesn't that feel good? We all have good in us and when we share it we reap the feel good part of it. Remember, it's easier for us to feel good about other people if we can feel good about ourselves first.